Handtool for adjusting dentures



April 7, 1970 R. G. FONTANA 3,504,440

HANDTOOL FOR ADJUSTING DENTURES Filed June 6, 1969 l h 2 'lll HIM FIG..2

INVENTOR. RALPH G. FONTANA ATTORNEYS United States Patent "ice 3,504,440 HANDTOOL FOR ADJUSTING DENTURES Ralph G. Fontana, 7645 Giusti Road, F orestville, Calif. 95436 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 652,340, July 10, 1967. This application June 6, 1969, Ser.

Int. 01. A61c 3/00 U.S. Cl. 32-40 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 652,340, filed July 10, 1967 and now patent No. 3,460,256 issued Aug. 12, 1969.

This invention relates to hand tools and more par ticularly to a handtool for scraping the inside surface of dentures in order to adjust the dentures to the wearers mouth.

One of the most common problems associated with the wearing of dentures is the necessity for adjusting the fit of the dentures to the gums. The shape of the gums over which the dentures fit changes due to resorption of the bones underlying the gums. As the shape changes, the cooperating surface of the denture irritates the gums and leads to discomfort, pain and abrasion.

When denture wearers return to their dentists for adjustment of the dentures, the process of removing material and fitting and refitting the dentures is time-consuming and therefore expensive. A great many denture wearers therefore make attempts to adjust the dentures themselves. They often use a variety of tools which are neither proper for the work to be done, nor satisfactory. Such tools include nail files, screwdrivers, table knives and the like. Not only are such tools unsatisfactory for scraping away the high spots in the extremely hard methyl methacrylate and vinyl copolymer plastics from which the denture may be made, but accidental cuts are all too likely as well.

The present invention is designed to be used not only by dentists but also by denture wearers for adjustments to their own dentures. It is designed to permit an unskilled person such as the average denture wearer to quickly and easily remove material from the denture in order to refit the denture to his mouth.

The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a cutting member, preferably made of high quality stainless steel, shaped in such a manner as to be useful for removing material from the various parts of the gum-receiving recesses of dentures. The cutting member is secured to a handle so that it may be readily held in the hand for the scraping and cutting operation.

The cutting member is shaped to permit the tool to be used in a number of ways. The leading edge is arcuate to permit reaching deep into the recesses of the dentures to remove material. The upper side edges and parts of the lower side edges of the cutting member are also sharpened so that scraping may be accomplished along a substantial area for removal of material and smoothing and by means of differently shaped cutting edges.

3,504,440 Patented Apr. 7, 1970 The upper surface is flat in order to permit ease in sharpening.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the handtool greatly enlarged;

FIGURE 2 is a similar side view of the handtool; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged front view of the tool.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing in which similar characters of reference represent coresponding parts in each of the several views, the tool comprises a handle 40 to which is secured the cutting blade 42. The blade 42 comprises a forward cutting tip 44 and a shank 46, the shank being secured in the handle.

In the preferred embodiment the blade 42 is made of a rectangular piece of steel approximately inch thick by 5 inch wide, preferably tool quality stainless steel. The leading edge 48 of the cutting tip has an arcuate shape when viewed from above, the diameter of which is approximately the width of the shank. The upper surface 50 is substantially flat. The trailing side edges 52 of the blade lead backward from the arcuate leading edge, the full thickness of shank 46.

The lower surface 54 of the cutting tip has a generally convex shape when viewed from the side, curving downward from the arcuate leading edge 48 to the bottom surface 56 of the shank. The forward undersurfaces 58 of the arcuate leading edge are rounded to conform to the arcuate shape of the edge and to air the arcuate shape into the flat sides 60 of the shank and the convex lower surface 54. The underside edges 62 are the junctions of sides 60 with the lower surface 54.

All the edges of the cutting tip leading edge 48, trailing side edges 52 and underside edges 62 are sharpened so that a variety of shaped cutting edges is available for scraping and cutting the denture plastic.

These and other modifications of my invention may be practiced, it being understood that the form of my invention as described above is to be taken as a preferred example of the same. Such description has been by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding. Changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A handtool for scraping and cutting dentures to adjust them to fit properly comprising: a cutting blade having a substantially fiat upper surface and a substantially convex lower surface, the surfaces meeting together to form an arcuate forward cutting edge; said cutting blade having substantially vertical, flat side surfaces trailing back from said arcuate forward cutting edge, said surfaces faired into said arcuate forward cutting edge and said convex lower surface; the edges at which the side surfaces meet the convex lower surface forming additional cutting edges; a shank portion extending rearward from the cutting blade; and an elongated handle to which said shank is secured.

2. A hand tool for making adjustments in dentures comprising: a handle; a shank secured to the handle; a cutting tip disposed at the free end of the shank; te leading edge of said tip having an arcuate shape, trailing side edges, an upper surface and a lower surface, the diameter of said arcuate shape being the width of the shank; the trailing side edges of the tip leading back fro-m the arcuate leading edge of the tip to the full width of the shank; the upper surface of the tip being substantially flat from the leading edge of the tip toward the shank; and the lower surface of the tip being convex and gradually curving backward and downward from the leading edge of the tip toward the shank.

r 3 4 3, Ihe handtool of claim 2 wherein the trailing side References Cited edges are sharpened to form additional cutting edges. UNITED STATES PATENTS 4. The h andtool of claim 2 whereln the up has substan- 2,831,249 4/1958 Kerpel 32 40 tially flat sides which meet the convex lower surface to 3 108 376 10/1963 Weinger 32 40 form arcuate side cutting edges from the leading edge 5 of the tip to the shank. ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner 

